Pocatello man facing felony for allegedly stabbing another man in the park

POCATELLO — A local man has been charged with aggravated assault after he allegedly stabbed another man at Simplot Square in Pocatello.

Tommy Douglass Tea, 25, also faces a deadly weapon enhancement, according to court documents.

Officers with the Pocatello Police Department were dispatched to Simplot Square around 2 p.m. July 18 after receiving calls that a man had been stabbed in the leg, an affidavit of probable cause reads.

While en route, officers were notified the suspect was reportedly shirtless and covered with tattoos. Upon arrival, officers saw Tea, whom they knew from previous interactions. Tea matched the description of the suspect and was immediately called over by the police.

He responded by yelling at officers that he had not hurt anyone and that he didn’t want anyone to take his dog.

Officers also identified the male victim, who had a bleeding laceration on his right lower leg. Officers noted the victim had applied a homemade tourniquet to his wound. The victim was transported to Portneuf Medical Center by ambulance and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The victim told officers they had witnessed a male, identified as Tea, and a female involved in an altercation. He said the two began fighting, so he moved away from the area. After Tea left the area for a short time, he returned and walked up to the victim, stopping about four feet from him and threw the knife into the victim’s leg.

While the victim was being escorted past Tea, he pointed at Tea, saying “he stabbed me.”

Tea once again yelled that he had not done anything wrong and demanded that his dog be left alone.

Tea instead said that he and the victim were involved in a fight, and the victim attacked him with a knife. Tea said he used the victim’s knife to defend himself.

Multiple witnesses in the park at the time corroborated the victim’s version of the story, adding that Tea’s knife was the only one involved in the entire incident. The victim also said he had seen Tea before, but had never interacted with him before.

Officers were informed the knife used to stab the victim may have been concealed in Tea’ backpack, so officers searched the bag. A two-inch folding knife was discovered, but it had no signs of blood on it and was determined not to have been used in the attack.

As more information was gathered, it was determined that the woman Tea had been arguing with was his girlfriend, and that she had left the scene of the incident soon after it took place. Officers noted it was possible she took the knife at that time and either cleaned it or disposed of it.

As officers attempted to get further information from Tea, he continued screaming about his dog and attempted to run as he was being handcuffed.

A knife was later found in the park, near Tea’s belongings, stabbed into the ground deep enough that any blood on the blade was no longer visible.

Tea was transported to Bannock County Jail, and booked for aggravated assault.

If he is found guilty of aggravated assault, Tea could face up to 15 years in prison and $50,000 in fines.

He is scheduled for a jury trial on Oct. 16 after pleading not guilty at an Aug. 9 arraignment. Tea posted a $1,000 bond on July 26.